Work-carrying arm for plating machines



May l, 1934- A; w. RITTER 1,956,625

WORK CARRYING ARM FOR PLATING MACHINES Filed July A3, 1950 @'/IjJ/ .MM

Patented May 1, 1934 PATENT ori-ICE WORK-CARRYING ARM FOR PLATING f MACHINES Albert William Ritter,

signor to Sargent & Conn.

New Haven, Conn., as-

Company, New Haven,

Application July 3, 1930, Serial No. 465,626

7 Claims.

This invention relates to plating machines and more particularly to an improved work support or work-carrying means for a plating machine of the general type shown in Patent No. 963,817, July 12, 1910, granted to John H. Shaw wherein is provided a traveling carrier designed to travel horizontally above a plating bath or series of baths and to transport articles to be plated through the paths. While the improvements herein described are intended for a machine of the general type described in said patent, they are embodied for purposes of illustration in a plating mechanism like that shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 465,625 filed July 3, 1930, of which this application is a continuation in part.

One object of the invention is to provide improved work-supporting means for a plating machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide .an improved work-supporting means for a plating machine by which the work will be rotated during its travel through the bath.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a machine having a traveling carrier to transport articles to be plated horizontally through a bath, a work-carrying support which will be rotated about a vertical axis during its horizontal travel and thus effect the application of a more even coating of the plating material to the work. i

More specifically the invention resides in the provision of a work-carrying arm which will be transported in a horizontal direction, and which will have rotatably suspended therefrom a worksupporting member in contact with the cathode bar or other part of the frame whereby the work-supporting member will be rotated during its horizontal travel to rotate the workv within the bath.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view partly in section of a plating mechanism embodying my invention. and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the construction of the improved work-carrying support.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my inventon, I have shown in a fragmentary way a frame 10, upon which is supported a tank 11 designed to contain the plating bath and having anodes 12 supported at either side thereof. Upon the frame 10 is mounted a bracket 13 to which is secured a support 14 upon which in turn is mounted a horizontal track 15.

A traveling carrier comprising a chain 16 is mounted above the track, the chain supporting a yoke 17, within which is rotatably mounted a roller or sheave 18 provided with a groove 19 within which the track 15 is received, the sheave riding upon and being supported by the track while being transported horizontally by the chain 16.

Upon the shaft of the sheave or roller 18 is rotatably mounted a Work-carrying arm 21, which arm is provided with a gear 22 designed to make contact with rack members 23 to rotate the arm 21 to elevate the work above the tanks containing the plating baths. It will be understood that the racks 23 are located at the points at which it is desired to raise the work either for transporting it above the baths or for carrying it from one bath into another.

The arm 21 is provided at its lower end with a bearing 24 which projects to some extent upon both sides of the arm, so that the inner end of this bearing may, when the arm is in raised position as shown i-n dotted lines in Fig. 1, be carried upon a supporting member 25 which is suitably mounted in a collar 26 at the upper portion of the bracket 13.

Within the bearing 24, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2, is a pin 27 insulated from the bearing by an insulating collar 28 having a flange 28a at one end `and an insulating washer 29 set in the bearing 24. The pin 27 is provided with a shoulder 30, which is drawn against the flange 28a by the screw 31 threaded into the end of the pin 27 through the insulating washer 29. 'I'he pin is thus retained in place and held securely within the bearing 24. One end of this pin extends outwardly from the bearing 24, and rotatably mounted upon the extended end of this pin is a work-supporting member comprising a supporting block 32 within which is a bearing bushing 33 surrounding the pin 27, this block being provided with a threaded opening 34.

A screw 35 is threaded into the opening 34, the screw having a body portion upon which is rotatably mounted a plate or collar 36 above a ball bearing 37. Secured to the collar 36 by means of screws 38 is a cup shaped member 39, from which depends a hook 40 designed to support the work 41.

The cathode bar 42 is mounted in a recess 43 in the member 14 and is insulated from this member by the insulating collar 44, the member 42 being held in place by the clamping jaw 45.

A spring-47 is loosely mounted upon a screw 48,

secured in the pin 27, one end of this spring bearing against the supporting block 32 and the other end being received in a recess 49 in a projecting lug 50 secured to the block 32. It will be obvious that this spring will act to urge the block 32 and the member 39 toward the right as shown in Fig. 2, so that the member 39 will be held in frictional engagement with the cathode bar 42. The spring is loosely mounted upon the screw 48 so that it will turn with the block 32 uponv the pin 27 when the arm 21 is rotated during the operation of the machine.

When the chain 16 of the traveling carrier is set in motion, the arms 21 will be transported in a horizontal direction along the track 15 and will carry the work 41 through the baths. During this movement the member 39 will move along and in contact with the cathode bar 42 in order to carry current to the work and the frictional contact between these members will be sufficient to rotate this member upon the bearing 37 relatively to the screw 35. As the hook 40 is secured to the member 39, it will be apparent that it and the work 41 will be slowly rotated upon a vertical axis about the screw so as to slowly rotate the work within the baths and result in an even application of the plating material.

As the supporting block 32 is rotatably mounted upon the pin 27, it will be obvious that when the arm 21 is moved from the lower position shown in Fig. 1 to the raised dotted line position, the support will swing about the pin 27 so that the work support and work are always maintained in a "'15 depending position from this pin. Moreover the work-supporting arm will at this time be out of contact with the cathode bar 42, as the work is above the bath and it is not necessary to carry current thereto when the arm is raised. Moreover the rotation of the member 39 on the bar 42 will reduce the wear upon this bar to an amount much less than that which would be present if the work-carrying member where in sliding contact with the bar.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a plating machine, a traveling carrier, a work-supporting arm associated with said carrier and mounted to rotate to raise and lower the work, a member depending from said arm, and a work-supporting member rotatably mounted on said depending member, and means for rotating said supporting member to effect the rotation of the work, said means comprising a current-carrying bar engaging laterally against a portion of said member.

2. In a plating machine, a frame, a traveling carrier thereon, a work-supporting arm associated with said carrier and mounted to rotate to raise and lower the work, a member depending from said arm, and a work-supporting member rotatably mounted on said depending member, and means on the frame engaging laterally against a part of said work-supporting member to effect the rotation thereof.

3. In a plating machine, a frame, a traveling carrier thereon, a work-supporting arm associated with said carrier and mounted to rotate to raiseand lower the work, a member depending from said arm, and a work-supporting member rotatably mounted on said depending member,` and means on the frame in frictional side contact with a part of said work-supporting member to effect the rotation thereof as said member is moved by the carrier.

4. In a plating machine, a rotatable worksupporting member, a traveling carrier adapted to move said member in a horizontal direction, a current-carrying bar, and spring means to hold a part of said member in contact with said bar during its movement, to eiect the rotation of the work while being moved in a horizontal direction.

5. In a plating machine a traveling carrier, e. work-supporting arm associated with said carrier and mounted to rotate to raise and lower the work, a pin carried by said arm, a block supported on the pin and having a member depending vertically therefrom, a work-supporting member rotatably mounted on said vertically depending member to rotate about a vertical axis, a currentcarrying bar mounted adjacent the work-supporting member, and means urging a part of said work-supporting member into frictional contact with said current-carrying bar to eiect rotation of the work as it is transported by the carrier.

6. In a plating machine a traveling carrier, a work-supporting arm associated with said carrier and mounted to rotate to raise and lower the work, a pin carried by said arm, a block supported on"-the pin and having a member depending Vertically therefrom, a work-supporting member rotatably mounted on said vertically depending member to rotate about a vertical axis, a currentcarrying bar mounted adjacent the work-supporting member, and a spring mounted on said pin and bearing against the block to urge said work-supporting member into frictional contact with the current-carrying bar.

'7. In a plating machine a traveling carrier, a work-supporting arm associated with said carrier to be moved thereby in a horizontal path, a depending member carried by said arm, a cupshaped member rotatably carried by said depending member, and work-supporting means secured to said cup-shaped member, a current-carrying bar, and means for urging said cup-shaped member in frictional contact with the bar to effect 135 rotation thereof to rotate the work.

ALBERT WILLIAM RITTER. 

